It’s time for kids to be outside
Published 9:25 am Friday, June 27, 2008
It’s officially summer and the weather is a testimonial to that. Spending time in the outdoors in the summertime is what it’s all about. In our neck of the woods we are lucky to have so many options of how we can spend a beautiful summer day.
We have all of these nice parks to enjoy whether it’s a picnic, fishing, swimming, boating, walking or just relaxing in the outdoors we pretty much have a buffet of things to do.
I read an article by Curt Johnson from the Minnesota Department of Tourism and in it he voices his concern about how our kids are getting out of touch with the outdoors. I have written about this subject in the past, but it is something we should be concerned with. In his article he says that he doesn’t blame the kids for sitting in front of their X-Box or whatever form of video games they have but rather the adults.
Although our electronic world offers so many options now compared to when we were kids it has become easier to turn on the power and let kids occupy themselves.
We are in a fast-paced society but we really need to take the time to get our kids involved with the outdoors and what better way than fishing. It is inexpensive, and with the abundance of lakeshore we have in our area it is easily accessible.
When the boys were young we would sometimes pack up the car and head to Edgewater for a picnic. We’d grill some “dogs,” heat up some beans and have a picnic and relax while the kids fished. Outdoors, picnic, fishing, inexpensive entertainment while enjoying the outdoors.
When I was a kid it was all about the outdoors. We’d have pickup baseball games, which you just don’t seem to see that much anymore. I lived out on North Bridge and every summer we’d ride our bikes to the beach and go swimming. The beach is where we took our swimming lessons or just went to hang out. Swimming out to the raft was the sure sign that you’d taken that next step as a swimmer.
I can remember the first time I swam to the raft. It was with my friend Tom Boyer and we made a pact that neither of us would “chicken out.” Neither of us did and when we got there it made me feel like I‘d really accomplished something special. Tom passed away too young but I will always have the memories of the fun we had as kids.
There were also many summer days that I’d ride my bike to town and fish Fountain Lake. I’d usually start under the dam because you could climb on top of the waterways and get close to the dam from under the bridge. After I’d tire of that it would be on to Katherine Island to fish off the metal bridge or offshore. As the day progressed I’d work my way along the shoreline until my appetite got the best of me and then I’d hop on the bike and head for home.
I can remember the pure excitement in my mother’s voice when I’d drag home a stringer of bullheads and sunfish which had been on a stringer all day and most of which were stiff as a board. I guess excitement is not exactly the right word. I think it took me a few times to learn that this was not the thing to do. I am sure that the only reason I kept the fish was to show someone my fishing prowess — hey I was proud of my catch like any kid is.
Statistics show that there are less and less youth getting involved in fishing each year. Take some time out of your busy day to relax and remember when you were a kid and went fishing and then introduce your child, grandchild or a neighbor to this wonderful sport.
A FEW FISHING REPORTS:
ALEXANDRIA — Look to Lake Ida for walleyes in 12 to 16 feet with leeches. Lakes Mary and Reno are giving up walleyes on minnows and crawlers in 14 to 20 feet during low-light periods. Bass action remains strong on the emerging weedlines and shoreline areas of most lakes. Look for sunfish in less than six feet and crappies on the 10- to 12-foot weedlines.
BATTLE LAKE — Walleyes are hitting leeches on West Battle Lake in 18 to 23 feet or 30 to 35 feet of water. On Otter Tail Lake, minnows are the best bet for walleyes in 18 to 28 feet of water. Leeches worked in 18 to 23 feet are triggering walleyes at Rush, Silver, Walker, Clitherall, Star, and Blanche lakes. Look for crappies in 7 to 13 feet of water at Blanche, East Battle, West Battle, Stalker, and Clitherall lakes. There’s steady bluegill action in 3 to 6 feet of water at East Battle, West Battle, Star, Norway, Deer, Dead, and West Leaf lakes. Spinnerbaits or plastics are producing bass on most lakes, while Otter Tail and South Turtle Lake are safe bets for pike. Muskie anglers on West Battle have hooked a few fish on bucktails.
BRAINERD/NISSWA — Walleyes continue to hit minnows, but leeches have started working as well. Lakes such as Gull, Round, and North Long are worth noting in 12 to 30 feet. Bluegills and bass are shallow and active on most lakes. Crappies are scattered between the shorelines and shallow weed areas. Northern pike are hitting minnows on most lakes in 12 to 14 feet.
FAIRMONT — Crappies and bluegills are hitting in the channels of lakes George, Amber, Fox, Hall, and Budd. There’s an evening walleye bite on Fox Lake in 14 to 18 feet. Bass are hitting on most lakes with Budd and Sissiton producing bigger fish.
FARIBAULT — A jig and leech combination has produced a lot of walleyes on the 12- to 16-foot weedlines of Shields Lake, Lake Mazaska, and French Lake. Sunfish are shallow and active on most lakes in the area, while the weedlines of Hunt Lake, Cedar Lake, and Mazaska are producing pike. Cedar and Shields lakes also have kicked out numbers of bass.
GRAND RAPIDS — Lakes such as Wabana, Deer, Moose, Pokegama, and Sugar are giving up walleyes in 17 to 20 feet of water. Crappies and bluegills remain shallow on Big and Little Splithand, Wabana, Deer, and Moose lakes. The Mississippi River also has produced good-sized bluegills. Smallmouth bass are very active in the shallow sand and Swan Lake has kicked out some northern pike.
MANKATO — Rattle Traps or a jig/leech combo are producing walleyes on the weed edges of Madison Lake. On Lake Washington, Lindy Rigs and leeches are producing walleyes in 12 to 15 feet. Panfish are hitting in the shallows of most lakes, but Washington and Madison tend to produce bigger fish. Look to German Lake, Madison, and Washington for bass.
WATERVILLE — Sucker minnows under a float are producing pike in eight feet at Lake Sakatah. Slow-presented leeches are turning walleyes on Sakatah in 20 feet. The channel between Sakatah and Lake Tetonka or Big Jefferson Lake are safe bets for sunfish. Look for crappies in shallow water at Lake Francis or under the Highway 13 bridge on Sakatah.
Until next time, take a little time to enjoy the outdoors — good luck, play safe and good “fishin.”
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